BrightCap Ventures Found Their All-in-one Event For CEE, And They Keep Coming Back

ABOUT BRIGHTCAP VENTURES

BrightCap Ventures backs global founders built on local engineering talent across Central and Eastern Europe. Their second fund operates under the European Investment Fund’s Bulgarian and Romanian mandate, together with restriction-free private capital (40% of the fund), which means the regional ecosystem isn’t just relevant to them. It’s core to their strategy.

THE CHALLENGE

As BrightCap’s regional presence grew, so did their needs. Three things kept coming up: access to curated deal flow, brand visibility beyond a logo placement, and a way to understand how other funds actually think.

BrightCap’s needed access to a relevant pool of startups to invest in. Their existing network was strong, yet it could not scale to cover the full regional picture, so they needed a structured setting where they could meet curated, ambitious founders and the co-investors writing checks alongside them. At the same time, they wanted visibility that reflected the actual quality of what they back, because media awareness alone could not communicate the strength of their portfolio to the regional investor community. They also needed a clearer view into how other investors think, especially around founder profiles, portfolio construction, and market timing, since strong investment strategy does not develop in isolation. Ultimately, BrightCap was looking for one high-density conference that could bring all of these priorities together in a single place, rather than forcing the team to spread attention across multiple fragmented events.

THE SOLUTION

How to Web Dealflow Program: structured access to the region’s best

The solution for BrightCap was the Dealflow Program, How to Web’s structured networking framework designed to turn conference participation into a concrete business development process: curated startups, qualified investors, meetings that happen. The program gives both startup and investor ticket holders access to the full list of attending companies and funds before the event, the ability to schedule 1:1 meetings in advance through the Brella app, and dedicated networking areas with numbered tables across the two conference days, so relevant conversations are arranged ahead of time rather than left to chance.

How did the Dealflow Program work for BrightCap

For BrightCap, this worked in a highly practical and repeatable way. Before the event, the team received the full list of attending startups and investors so they could set clear priorities and divide coverage across audience segments without overlap. By receiving access to the Brella app, they scheduled back-to-back meetings in advance, which meant they arrived with a full calendar instead of spending time chasing conversations on the conference floor. They were also offered the opportunity to redirect conference tickets to their own fundraising portfolio companies, turning the networking area into a live showcase of the kinds of founders they back and giving other investors a direct way to assess fit.

What else beyond Dealflow added to BrightCap’s experience

Beyond the Dealflow Program itself, several other parts of the How to Web Conference experience created value for BrightCap over time. The highly curated panels played an important role by bringing together investors with conflicting views rather than repeating consensus opinions, which gave BrightCap fresh input for its own annual strategy discussions around founder profiles, portfolio construction, and timing. The conference attracted powerful stakeholders which led to meaningful ecosystem partnerships, connecting the team with angel groups/accelerators/early VCs such as Growceanu, Tech Angels, Reactor X,  Smok Ventures, Cleverage, EarlyGame, Catalyst, as well as Silicon Valley–based legal and banking providers that support US-facing portfolio companies. At the same time, by assessing each startup application, the  conference helped build a long-horizon curated founder pipeline, since many of the startups they met were not yet ready for BrightCap’s check size but could be tracked and revisited as they matured. Finally, their visibility grew through presence, as the quality of the portfolio companies attending alongside them became a much stronger signal of what the fund stands for.

THE RESULTS

Five editions in and How to Web Conference is still mandatory on the calendar:

 

Structured dealflow · Pipeline	The Dealflow Program replaced cold-floor networking with a pre-qualified   meeting schedule via How to Web’s networking app, a pipeline that started   building well before the event opened.
Portfolio as signal · Market positioning	By bringing fundraising founders to the conference, BrightCap turned those   conversations into a live demonstration of their investment thesis — showing   the market, in real time, the kind of companies they back. These companies   were also presented as investment opportunities for local and regional funds.
Co-investor access · Network	The conference became a recurring touchpoint with local and international   funds active in CEE, not just access to names, but context on how those funds   evaluate opportunities.
Strategy sharpened · Internal impact	Panel participation prompted real internal debate around founder profiles,   portfolio construction, and market timing, pushing the investment strategy   forward through public accountability.
Ecosystem partnerships · Relationships	Introductions made at the conference led to meaningful partnerships with   regional angel networks, accelerators, VCs and ecosystem players, relationships   that extended well beyond the event itself.

 

WHY HOW TO WEB CONFERENCE

How to Web is the mandatory annual conference for BrightCap and also the one they recommend to any fund serious about Central and Eastern Europe. For them, its value comes from bringing together everything that matters in one place: structured access to startups and co-investors, curated participants, challenging discussions that sharpen investment thinking, and relevant ecosystem partners who can support portfolio growth. Taken together, these elements make the event a true all-in-one event for building  meaningful presence and perspective in the region.

 

“They ask us all the time and we always tell them: if you’re looking at the region, this is the one place you should go to. Try to meet with as many ecosystem players and VCs and start building relationships for collaboration and pipeline sharing.”

Elina Halatcheva, BrightCap Ventures

 

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Based on a conversation with Elina Halatcheva, BrightCap Ventures, April 2026.